Diamondback Jay
Psalms 23:1
So, in a previous thread, we've established Pete Carroll, Mike Martz, Dick Vermiel, Steve Mariucci, Bob Stoops and Bobby Petrino as the candidates to look at. I'm going to dissect each here and give my assessment of who I think the Cardinal coach should be.
Martz and Vermiel are both extensions of the type of coach Denny Green is, offense first, foremost and above all else. What would be the difference between those two and who the Cards currently have?
Mariucci? He did well in San Francisco but not so good in Detroit. Not every team is suited for the West Coast Offense, do you think Arizona's one of them? That's a pretty big upheaval, and is one that I see taking at LEAST another downtrodden season to get to.
Carroll, I just can't see leaving USC.. Not for the Cardinals. Actually, the ONLY job I see him leaving USC for this post-season is the Chargers, if Schottenheimer retires/is pushed out the door which has been rumored all year. San Diego's got all the pieces in place, and is on the cusp of taking that next step in to a Super Bowl regular. Plus, he gets to STAY in Southern California.
Stoops, I just don't envision as an NFL coach. I think he's one of that long list of "good college coaches" who should be nowhere near an NFL sideline.
Petrino, I think COULD be a good NFL coach being he has the roots, but I want to see what the guy does in more pressure situations as a coach. The Big East is solid, but I'm not sure it's on the same level as even a PAC 10.
I know noone wants this, but I honestly think Arizona's best bet is Denny Green.
Yes, I know.. Everyone else wants him gone.. So stop and exhale.. And hear my logic before you condone me to a lifetime of celibacy.
Green has cleaned house since he arrived in Arizona. He has turned over a lot of the personnel on the Cards. That takes time. Even the best of them needed time to turn things around.
It took Chuck Noll six years to appear in a Super Bowl. He was 12-30 in his first 3 seasons as Steeler head coach.
Jeff Fisher was 8-14 in his first two seasons as head coach of the Oilers/Titans and then posted 3straight 8-8 records before posting a 13-3 record in 1999.
Steve Mariucci took over a good (but aging) 49er team and did well in his first two seasons and then had to purge most of the team in '99 and '00 and posted a 10-22 record in those two seasons. He got them back to winning and posted two double digit win seasons before being dumped after the '02 season.
When a coach is turning over talent on a team, it takes longer to win. I understand with this offense, the bar has been raised expectationwise. However, given the problems on the o-line and defense, I don't know how high the bar should really have been raised.
Green has taken a systematic approach to the rebuilding of the Cardinals. In 04, he added Fitz through the draft to help his QBs and Bert Berry through Free Agency to shore up the pass rush. In '05, he added Robert Griffith and Antrel Rolle to help a weak secondary. Look at the offense now in comparison to what he had when he took over.. They have two World Class WRs, a QB of the Future and an All Pro HB, who is having some obvious troubles behind a porous O-Line, which is more of a sign that this line needs something more than what they have than it is a sign of Denny Green's lack of ability to coach.
On the starting defense, only Gerald Hayes and SS Adrian Wilson were in Arizona prior to Green's arrival. Of the starting offense, only Davis, Wells, and Boldin were in Arizona prior to Green's arrival.
Green has had some mis-steps along the way -- you don't hand big contracts to a RB and QB and then use waiver wire pickups to block for them. He had the now infamous "crown their asses" blowup and he's made some questionable personnel decisions at times. Noone's going to question his clock management skills more than I am. He's definitely made as many questionable personell moves as he has good ones, but by and large this team is much better than the one he inherited.
He just needs a little more depth, another impact player on defense, and some experience for his young guys. Oh, and of course, the glaring need.. A offensive line force.
I really don't think firing Green is the answer. He has acquired players he wanted. He's turned over most of the roster and he just needs a little more time and a few more players before things start clicking. If a new coach comes in, the team will be purged again and the whole process will start over and it will be another 3 years (at least) before the Cards will be competitive.
Martz and Vermiel are both extensions of the type of coach Denny Green is, offense first, foremost and above all else. What would be the difference between those two and who the Cards currently have?
Mariucci? He did well in San Francisco but not so good in Detroit. Not every team is suited for the West Coast Offense, do you think Arizona's one of them? That's a pretty big upheaval, and is one that I see taking at LEAST another downtrodden season to get to.
Carroll, I just can't see leaving USC.. Not for the Cardinals. Actually, the ONLY job I see him leaving USC for this post-season is the Chargers, if Schottenheimer retires/is pushed out the door which has been rumored all year. San Diego's got all the pieces in place, and is on the cusp of taking that next step in to a Super Bowl regular. Plus, he gets to STAY in Southern California.
Stoops, I just don't envision as an NFL coach. I think he's one of that long list of "good college coaches" who should be nowhere near an NFL sideline.
Petrino, I think COULD be a good NFL coach being he has the roots, but I want to see what the guy does in more pressure situations as a coach. The Big East is solid, but I'm not sure it's on the same level as even a PAC 10.
I know noone wants this, but I honestly think Arizona's best bet is Denny Green.
Yes, I know.. Everyone else wants him gone.. So stop and exhale.. And hear my logic before you condone me to a lifetime of celibacy.
Green has cleaned house since he arrived in Arizona. He has turned over a lot of the personnel on the Cards. That takes time. Even the best of them needed time to turn things around.
It took Chuck Noll six years to appear in a Super Bowl. He was 12-30 in his first 3 seasons as Steeler head coach.
Jeff Fisher was 8-14 in his first two seasons as head coach of the Oilers/Titans and then posted 3straight 8-8 records before posting a 13-3 record in 1999.
Steve Mariucci took over a good (but aging) 49er team and did well in his first two seasons and then had to purge most of the team in '99 and '00 and posted a 10-22 record in those two seasons. He got them back to winning and posted two double digit win seasons before being dumped after the '02 season.
When a coach is turning over talent on a team, it takes longer to win. I understand with this offense, the bar has been raised expectationwise. However, given the problems on the o-line and defense, I don't know how high the bar should really have been raised.
Green has taken a systematic approach to the rebuilding of the Cardinals. In 04, he added Fitz through the draft to help his QBs and Bert Berry through Free Agency to shore up the pass rush. In '05, he added Robert Griffith and Antrel Rolle to help a weak secondary. Look at the offense now in comparison to what he had when he took over.. They have two World Class WRs, a QB of the Future and an All Pro HB, who is having some obvious troubles behind a porous O-Line, which is more of a sign that this line needs something more than what they have than it is a sign of Denny Green's lack of ability to coach.
On the starting defense, only Gerald Hayes and SS Adrian Wilson were in Arizona prior to Green's arrival. Of the starting offense, only Davis, Wells, and Boldin were in Arizona prior to Green's arrival.
Green has had some mis-steps along the way -- you don't hand big contracts to a RB and QB and then use waiver wire pickups to block for them. He had the now infamous "crown their asses" blowup and he's made some questionable personnel decisions at times. Noone's going to question his clock management skills more than I am. He's definitely made as many questionable personell moves as he has good ones, but by and large this team is much better than the one he inherited.
He just needs a little more depth, another impact player on defense, and some experience for his young guys. Oh, and of course, the glaring need.. A offensive line force.
I really don't think firing Green is the answer. He has acquired players he wanted. He's turned over most of the roster and he just needs a little more time and a few more players before things start clicking. If a new coach comes in, the team will be purged again and the whole process will start over and it will be another 3 years (at least) before the Cards will be competitive.